Unexpected Hearts
by ThisIsMyTownAndIDefendMyShips
Summary: I have always thought that Caitlin Snow was one if not the best character on the Flash. Until they went and repeatedly bashed and changed who she was. So I decided to give her a love that was new and different than what she's had before. Hope you like it. Three shot sort of AU ish.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Somehow, the thing didn't save correctly and so I went back to hopefully fix the mistakes. Anyways Enjoy and please review.**

* * *

Ralph Dibney looked at the woman in front of him. She had long wavy light brown hair with slanted bangs and milk chocolate eyes. She had a pretty smile but he could tell that there was sadness and pain behind it. It was the same with her eyes. There was a light that had just started to come back. She was wearing a white long sleeve shirt and brown skinny jeans. She was cute. He couldn't deny that. But there was a mystery surrounding her. And he wanted to find out what it was.

"Ralph, this is Caitlin Snow our Bioengineer," Barry said. She gave a small wave and her smile became slightly larger. The light in her eyes brightened a tiny bit.

"How's it going pretty lady?" he asked. She rolled her eyes but not like most girls. It was small, thinking he was a playboy and not much more. She went to a desk and returned to whatever it was that she had been doing before. Barry went around introducing everyone else but he couldn't stop looking at Caitlin every few seconds. He couldn't stare at her because he would prefer not to creep her out. He also had to look like he was paying attention to this whole induction thing.

"So Ralph," Barry said interrupting his concentration on the pretty brunette. "What do ya think?"

"Looks cool," he said. "I'm going to head home for the day. After all this excitement I just wanna sit and relax for a while."

"Okay," Barry said.

"See ya around Dibney," Cisco called.

"Bye Ralph," Caitlin said kindly. It felt warm and good when she talked to him. Like a little boy being wrapped in a favorite blanket on a cold winter's night. It was sweet sounding and gently pulled at a string somewhere.

"Bye," He said disappearing from sight.

When Ralph got home that night he decided to google Caitlin Snow. There was a bunch on her professional life but nothing on her social life. She didn't even have a Facebook or Twitter account. However, he did find that her name had been associated with someone named Ronnie Raymond a couple of times a couple of years ago. He'd have to ask about him tomorrow.

He was looking at some of her pictures online and that light was brighter than he expected. She was radiant. His favorite one was one where she was sitting on a picnic blanket in the park on a summer day, smiling like there wasn't a care in the world. He put that picture for when she called or texted. If ever. He hoped she would.

Ralph closed his laptop and got ready for bed. Tomorrow he would get to see her again. He slept peacefully that night.

* * *

Ralph opened the doors to Star Labs but quickly jumped back before accidentally running into Caitlin. "Hey girl, What's up?" he asked cheerfully.

"Not now Ralph," Caitlin told him not unkindly. Her eyes were rimmed with red from tears. Her hands trying to cover the fact that she had been crying.

"Hey," he said in a comforting tone. He gently took her arm. She stopped trying to get away. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"Nothing, I'll be fine," she told him.

"Well sure but I'd like to know what's bothering you now," he said. She looked like she wanted to run but decided against it.

"It's stupid. It's just. Nick broke up with me," she told him. Her tears returned. Ralph wrapped her up in a hug. She returned the hug needing just to be held right then. "Some way to kick off a birthday huh?" she tried to laugh but it didn't really work. He hugged her a little tighter.

No one breaks with someone on their birthday. Even he knew that. Yes, he'd accidentally done it a few times but that was because he didn't know it was her birthday not because he was a jerk. "It's your birthday today?" he asked purely to get her thinking off Nick. That jerk. He'd never liked him. Always something off about him. Annoying beyond belief to him.

"Yeah," she told him. "Nick was going to take me out tonight to a fancy restaurant. I got a new dress for it and everything."

He rubbed her back. Then a brilliant idea popped into his head. "Hey, Why don't we go and get you a cake. My treat. We can even get some ice cream to go with it."

She sniffed and looked up at him. Her eyes were twinkling but that could have been the reflection of her tears. Her smile, however, was small but bright. Oh, how he wanted to kiss those sweet pink lips and tell her everything was going to be okay. That he would take care of her. It took everything he had not to. "Really. I'm not gonna let some jerk who never deserved you ruin your birthday. Come on, I know a great bakery on 4th. The goods there are to die for." He lead her to his car and began helped her in.

They reached the bakery. It smelled so good. Cookies, pastries and delicious cakes. It had that wonderful 'Mom's kitchen' type of feel. "Hey, Why don't you start looking. I have to use the bathroom for a second."

"Okay," she agreed and started heading for the cake section.

He went over to the facilities. Quickly he pulled out his phone and dialed Barry. "Barry."

"What is it Ralph?" He asked sounding annoyed.

"Get over to Star Labs. I need you to start decorating for Caitlin's birthday party. I'm out picking a cake and some ice cream with her," he told him. "I'm stalling but hurry up."

"It's her birthday today?" Barry asked.

"Yes genius," he told him annoyed with him. "Get Cisco and Wells too. I gotta go." He quickly hung up. Unbelievable. Was all Caitlin was to these people just a doctor and a way to vent. Goodness, only he knew how often these people treated her like a secondary character.

It was unfair and not right. He exited the bathroom to get Caitlin her cake.

* * *

While Ralph was in the bathroom Caitlin began looking at the cakes. They all looked so good.

"Can I help you?" an older woman asked. She reminded Caitlin of her grandma. She had whitening black hair, kind blue eyes and a sweet smile. She wore a brown dress and white apron. She seemed like a very sweet lady and had that motherly touch that Caitlin hadn't received like most kids.

"Oh, I'm just looking for a cake. It's my birthday today," she told her.

"Oh how lovely," she smiled. It faded when she took a good look at her face. "My dear, have you been crying?"

"Oh, My, um, boyfriend broke up with me this morning," she told her.

She gasped, "That low down jerk. How dare he."

"It's okay," she told her. "My friend is getting me one of these and some ice cream to celebrate."

"Aww, That sounds wonderful. What's his name? Maybe I know him," she asked.

"His name is Ralph Dibney," she told her.

"Dibney?" she questioned. "Wait a second. Are you Caitlin Snow?"

"You know me?" she asked.

"Oh my goodness, Do I?" she laughed. "That boy doesn't shut up about you."

"Really?" she asked.

"Oh yes," she told her. "He told us all about you. How smart you are, how sweet you are, kind, patient and he wasn't kidding when he said how pretty you are."

She blushed. She couldn't believe Ralph had said those things about her. She felt butterflies in her tummy.

"Did Nick break up with you? We knew that horrible jerk was going to pull something sooner or later," she told her. "Ralph was so worried about you. He didn't know what to do."

Caitlin was awestruck. Ralph Dibney. Playboy Dibney... worried about her. Talking about her in a way that wasn't just about her body. It was almost impossible. But then, here was proof. Ralph cared about her.

"Just between you and me," she started. "Ralph may be a player but I haven't heard him talking about any stands since your name first appeared. It seems as if you've changed him for the better."

"Hey Bethel," Ralph said. They both moved to face him.

"Ralph, It's about time you brought this girl around," Bethel told him. "I was almost beginning to wonder if she was real."

"Come on, You know better than that," he laughed. "So did you decide on a cake yet?"

"Yeah, This one," she said pointing to a yellow cake with raspberry filling and vanilla frosting. It had white frosting flowers on it too.

"Alright. Good choice," he said. "Ring it up for me, Bethel."

"Coming right up," she smiled.

"Let's get some ice cream after this," he said.

"I like the sound of that," she smiled.

After they had picked up the ice cream (strawberry) they headed back to Star Labs. "I still don't get why you wanna eat at the lab," Caitlin told him.

"Just trust me," he told her. He walked with her into the main area and turned on the lights.

"Surprise!" everyone yelled jumping out from their various hiding places. The whole place was decorated with streamers, balloons and a happy birthday banner.

Caitlin was speechless for a while. "You guys! I can't believe it. I had no idea whatsoever."

"Happy birthday," they all said at some point each giving her a hug. They all ate cake and ice cream, gave her gifts (Ralph was excused because she had never told him when it was) and played around. Caitlin looked like she had a wonderful time.

She yawned and said she was gonna hit the hay when Ralph offered to take her home. They hopped in the car and he started driving. "So how was your birthday all in all?" Ralph asked her.

"By far one of my best. Even with what happened with Nick this has been the best birthday I've had in a long time," she told him.

"Well I'm glad," he said.

"I haven't had a chance to thank you yet. This meant so much to me. I haven't had someone do something like this for me in a while," she told him. "I also know that it was you who planned this whole thing."

"Why, why would you say that?" he asked wondering how she knew. He'd been so careful. He wanted her to think that they had remembered her birthday.

"Cisco was pretty drunk and things slipped out," she told him.

"Oh," he said. He'd have to talk to Cisco later. They reached Caitlin's house. Ralph quickly got out and opened her door for her. She took the hand that he had extended to her.

"Anyways, Thanks again Ralph," she said as she hugged him. He quickly reciprocated. He loved holding her in his arms. It made him feel better. Knowing that, for the minute, she was safe in his arms. Knowing that she was happy with him. And maybe, just maybe, she could one day love him.

To Caitlin, it felt safe, being in his arms. Like he could block everything that tried to hurt her. She had been hurt so many times. By everyone she'd ever loved. All of them taken, turned evil or just left. But here in Ralph's arms, she felt, something more than safe. She wasn't sure what it was but she liked it. A lot. She did something bold and kissed his cheek before turning and going inside her home.

Ralph touched his cheek where she had kissed him. He wanted to hold on to that. It was a sign that maybe his someday would come sooner than he thought.

* * *

Ralph walked into Star Labs that day and found Caitlin hanging something on the ceiling. She was standing on a twisty rolling chair. He walked up to her. "Hey, need some help?"

"Whoa!" she yelped. Her body movement made the chair slide out from underneath her. He quickly moved and caught her in his arms.

He laughed, "That's not exactly what I had in mind but I'll take it."

She gave a small laugh as well, "It was bound to happen anyway. The chair wasn't sturdy but it was the only one tall enough."

They were still as they held a gentle gaze. Neither one really wanting to move. After a couple of seconds, Ralph realized that he was still holding her. He gently set her down. "Here you go."

"Thanks," she told him.

Ralph lifted the banner up to where Caitlin had been trying to hang it. "Here?"

"Perfect," she smiled.

He stood back to look at his handy work. "'Happy Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Allen!' Has it really been a year already?"

"Yep," she answered. "I wanted to give them a little party before they went on their week vacation. Is it missing anything?"

"Other than the booze, nope," he answered.

"I didn't get that because Iris is pregnant. No need to rub her face in the fact that she can't drink or do other things," she told him.

"Yes but the groom and everyone else is not. That's 5 to 1. And that is math," he told her, laughing a little bit.

"Tell you what. You can pick up any drinks you want so long as they are all virgin," she offered.

"What's the point in that?" he asked.

"You want to get anything, the bride has to be able to drink it too," she told him.

He gave a fake pout and thought. "What about some virgin Piña Coladas or Daiquiris? They're fancy enough where the lack of alcohol isn't as apparent."

"I think that could work. They honeymooned in the tropics and those are very popular over there. We could get a few more decorations to complement that," she said. She went behind the control center and grabbed the ingredients for the drinks. "I just need to get some little umbrellas and some fake hibiscuses."

"When did we get a secret liquor storage compartment?" Ralph asked looking like he had just seen a miracle.

"I smuggled these in so I didn't look weird for bringing in all the ingredients at once. Most of this came out of there," she told him.

"You are a pure genius," he said in amazement.

She gave a small laugh, "Thank you. Come on, I know a nearby Party City that we can get the rest of the stuff from."

"Right behind you," he said as he walked after her.

They were able to quickly get everything that they needed and finish setting up for the party before the rest of the gang arrived. Barry and Iris loved it and so did Cisco and Harry. When it all ended Ralph and Caitlin were left to clean up.

He gathered up all the decorations from the ceiling while she cleaned up the floor. There was one thing that puzzled him. Why would she do all this for her so-called friends? None of them did anything like this for her. They all forgot about her birthday and yet she threw Barry and Iris an anniversary party. She even stayed to do all the cleanup. He would have forgone the whole party idea for all of them had they forgotten his. Caitlin constantly surprised him. Consistently made him want to know her better. Figure out how each little cog moved in her brain.

"Hey, I got everything from the ceiling down. Where do you want me next?" he asked.

"Can you start cleaning up the drinks?" she asked.

"Sure thing," he answered and began grabbing drinks with his superpower from across the room. "So what's the next big event coming up?"

"Uh, Let's see. Cisco's birthday is April 20, Iris's is June 24, Barry's is January 14, Joe's is four days later, Cecile's is November 24, Harry's is October 26, Wally's is December 19, Jessie's is May 18. When is your birthday?" she asked.

"March 21," he answered astonished she knew everyone's birthday.

"So it looks like Harry's birthday is up next. Although he's not up for about two more months," she answered. She then quickly added his birthday to her calendar on her phone.

"Wow," he said.

"We might have had something sooner but Iris and Barry are the only ones married," she told him.

He shook his head. He realized that he had finished with the glasses and then grabbed a broom so that he could help her sweep up. "So how's life going?"

"Well, other than out of control supervillains running rampant through the street, can't complain really. I have good friends, a good home, good security. I'm very happy with my life," she answered.

"What about what you do outside the job? Like relationships, family, what do you do with people outside of the office so to speak?" he asked.

"Hmm, well my family isn't really all that close. Any relationship I've ever had ends up blowing up in my face and my social life all depends on if anyone wants to do something. I'm honestly not that type of girl anyway. It's not a lot but it's just enough for me," she said.

Ralph had so many questions about what she had said but figured it was best to spread them out over time. They finished cleaning up and were about to leave when he got an idea. "Hey, Do you want to maybe get a late night snack from the bakery? We could grab some cookies or some donuts for tomorrow morning. My treat."

She mauled it over for a bit, then smiled sweetly and answered, "Sure. That sounds nice." The way she answered was like she never really got a chance to do things she used to do and there was a lot of nostalgia with a layer of tiredness that wasn't too much.

"Cool," he said as he walked over to her. "Let's go."

She followed him and they headed out to the bakery. They decided to go with a cookie for each of them now and then get a donut each for tomorrow morning. She had a macadamia nut cookie and he had a sugar cookie.

"Mmm, these are out of this world," Caitlin said after the first bite. "You're going to get me addicted to this place."

"Wait till you eat the donuts tomorrow. Every other one will taste like rock," he laughed. She laughed along with him. He loved making her laugh. She had a rough life from what he could tell. Whenever she laughed it was as if that light he had seen so long ago was coming back.

"Just out of curiosity, I was wondering. Would you wanna come over and watch a movie or something?" Caitlin asked him. "I'd totally get it if you didn't want to. After all, it is late and we don't know what we're going to be doing tomorrow anyways but..."

"That sounds like a lot of fun actually. I'm in," he answered.

"Cool," she said.

* * *

They took their donuts and headed out to Caitlin's place. They ended up watching A Rip Through Time. While they both loved it they were both very tired and ended up falling asleep. When Ralph woke up he found that they were all tangled up in each other. He was holding her head against his chest and his other arm was wrapped around her waist. Her arms were both wrapped around his waist. Her legs were woven in with his. He tried to slowly untangle himself from her but she only snuggled into him further. She craved his warmth. She nuzzled her head even more into his chest. Even in sleep, she wasn't quite ready to be alone again. She wasn't ready to face the world yet. She was safe and sound in his arms. Caitlin looked so peaceful and beautiful. He couldn't help himself. He leaned his head down and placed a soft small kiss on her crown and gently rubbed her back. He thought maybe one day, this would be how he woke up every morning. Wrapped around the girl he lo... really really liked.

Caitlin started to stir awake. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. Ralph followed suit so as not to look like he'd been staring at her the past couple of minutes. "Morning," he said sleepily.

"Morning," she said rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She finally figured out how she was positioned and they quickly moved out of each other's embrace. That had been the best nights sleep Caitlin had had in a while. It had probably been due to the dream she had.

She was surrounded on all sides of her. Every one of them looked like they were going to do something to her. Then all of a sudden, she was lifted up onto the top of a building whoever it was pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, "Don't you ever worry. I will always be there. Ready for anything. I'm never going to let anything happen to you again."

She looked up and saw her rescuer. It was Ralph. She hugged him tighter. He whispered one more thing into her ear before she woke up. "I love you."

The drive back to Star Labs was quiet but Ralph remembered the donuts and had her try them. She gushed with love as she took the first bite. He loved that look on her face. When she was in pure heaven. It made him fall deeper. They got to talking and by the time they entered the main floor they were both laughing. Everyone stared at the two of them. They were oblivious to it though. They talked about something else for a minute before Harry coughed and let them know they were there. The laughter died down quickly and lead to silence.

"Hey guys," Ralph said. "So what's new that we need to take down today?"

At the end of the day, Ralph and Caitlin were the last ones left again. Today Ralph had the perfect thing to show her that night. "Hey tonight, I wanted to try something new with you."

"Oh yeah, And what's that?" she asked.

"I think it's high time we go dancing. They have this open dance floor in the park with 24-hour long music and it's pretty cool," he told her.

"That actually sounds fun," she smiled. "Let's do it."

They drove down to the park. It was lit up with stringed lights around a wooden floor. There were a bunch of other people already there dancing and laughing. They headed down and took to the floor. She and Ralph started dancing to a faster song and laughed along.

"This has to be the most fun I've had in a long time," Caitlin told him.

"Me too," Ralph agreed. After that, the music got slower and slower. A little bit later a couple came over to them.

"Aww, You two look so cute together," the girl said. "Are you guys on the bride or groom's side?"

They looked at each other for a second and smiled. "I'm on the groom's side," Ralph answered.

"And I'm on the bride's side," Caitlin said.

"That is so cool," she said. "I'm Sarah and this is my husband Leonard."

"Nice to meet you," Ralph shook their hands and then put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm Ralph and this is Caitlin."

"Hello," she waved.

"Well it was really nice to meet you both but we have to go. We've got early morning jobs and such is life," Sarah explained.

"Oh of course," Caitlin said understandingly. "We will let you guys go. It was very nice to meet you both."

"Yeah you too," Leonard said as he and Sarah slipped away.

Caitlin and Ralph looked at each other smiled at each other and burst out laughing. "We just crashed a wedding!" Ralph said quietly enough but still freaking out a bit.

"I know. This is crazy!" Caitlin laughed. They continued dancing for a while. They just relaxed with each other. They just felt safe in each other's arms. They got to the point where they were just swaying. "I wonder if this will ever happen to us."

"Barry and Iris made it work. I think with the right person we could both get this," Ralph told her.

They looked deeply into the other's eyes. In that moment they both felt that their dream was a little closer than they thought. Ralph decided that he wasn't going to waste this moment. He slowly leaned down and gently kissed her. It ended a second later. Caitlin was surprised. Not that he had kissed her but that the kiss was so good. She reached up to kiss him again a little firmer this time. He reciprocated instantly. The kiss was amazing. It felt like everything was possible and neither wanted that to go. Unfortunately, the kiss had to end. As it did they looked at each other both smiling.

They decided to go home after so Ralph dropped Caitlin off at but not before a goodbye kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Ralph raced to get to Star Labs hoping he could catch Caitlin before everyone else was there. He went barreling into the main room to find her sitting behind her desk working on her computer. "There you are," he said making his way to her. "I have been looking everywhere for you."

"I've been right Mmph," she would have continued but she was cut off by Ralph's kiss. She reciprocated immediately. He gathered her up in his arms until she was standing up with him. When they kissed it was like the whole world was made right. He made her feel so loved and wanted. She loved that feeling. She wished it never left. After the kiss ended, they looked at the other's face. Both with huge smiles on their faces. "Hi."

"Hey," he returned. He gave her another small kiss before letting her go. "So what are you working on?" he asked.

"I am working on a new serum for Cisco to see if he get vibes from people without having to touch anything," she said as she sat back down on her chair. "I'm hoping that this will cut down on time and we can get ahead of the bad guys more often"

"That sounds awesome," he praised. He knew that she was brilliant beyond most people on the planet and the way it lit her up when she talked about her work and the possibility of moving forward was undeniably one of her most beautiful looks. Then again she always looked beautiful. Especially when she was wearing those safety glasses. They made her look adorable.

His world was finally on track. He had his girl, his powers were under control and the world was a little less crazy. His favorite time of the day was when she looked at him with such kindness and so caring, the way no one else had. Her eyes were the gateway to her soul. Everything he ever needed to know could be found in her eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes.

Ralph was kinda useless in this field so he listened to her intently, handed her things that she needed and occasionally got her water when she needed it. She loved how he wanted to be around her without being in the way and would do the simplest of tasks to be helpful.

He was so different than Nick. Nick was a lot less personal and he didn't really show her that he cared. He would get her stuff but it was only to make her look prettier for whatever event he was taking her to. Ralph was so much more caring and engaged with her. He always made her feel warm and wanted. He made sure she knew how special she was and how much she brought to the team.

She placed the serum inside the machine that would mix it to perfection which would take about 15 minutes. In that time they had managed to eat the donuts Ralph had brought in fresh, talk a bit about their more happier childhood memories and somehow, she wasn't sure how exactly, he'd managed to sneak in another kiss. She didn't mind it though. It still tingled on her lips when he left to throw away the garbage.

She was sitting contently in her chair, thinking about everything and nothing, when the other members of the team strolled in. They were chatting about something she couldn't quite hear what though. The timer dinged and she went over to get the serum out.

"Oh, Hey Caitlin," Barry said when they noticed her. "Whatcha workin on?"

"This," she started as she pulled the test tube out of the machine, "should give Cisco the ability to vibe on things without having to actually touch them. It's only temporary but I want to make sure this works before I start working on a permanent solution."

"That sounds awesome," Cisco said. "Is it ready?"

"Just finished," she said. She came over to them and handed the serum over to Cisco. She smiled however when Ralph reentered the room smiling at her brightly. He noticed that there was a hint of blush on her cheeks.

Cisco drank the serum quickly. Caitlin held up an action figure that used to belong to Barry. He instantly flashed on it. "Barry I didn't know you collected Power Ranger Action figures. I used to have a set like that too."

Caitlin beamed at her success and so did Ralph. She'd been worried that this might not work but the success was undeniable.

"Nice work Caitlin," Joe told her and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks," she said. "Would you excuse me for a second? I need to take care of something quickly."

"Yeah, go," Iris told her kindly. The alarm started going off. Everyone raced to the desk including Ralph. "Meta attack down on Waverly. Looks like a fiery one."

"Cisco and I've got this," Barry said.

"Yeah man," he agreed. "Race ya."

"Oh, You are so on," Barry said.

Caitlin started moving towards the lab in the back and Ralph decided to go with her. When they were out of sight from the others Ralph reached over and took her shoulder. She turned to see him and he wrapped her up in a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I never doubted you. I wanted to tell you that earlier but they were all in the way."

She laughed and smiled up at him, "Thank you." She moved back into his embrace. He always knew exactly what to say.

They went back to the control station where Iris and Joe were watching intently for any changes. Ever since Iris had joined the team, She'd practically taken over the desk where Caitlin used to reside. Caitlin would never admit this aloud but sometimes she felt like she'd been slowly pushed out and had landed in this… kind of limbo where she was only there when there was something that no one else could do. The rest of the time she was a little invisible. Not totally but sort of.

She walked over to the lab station to clean up the area she'd been using. All of a sudden an alarm went off on one of their suits. Cisco's screams could be heard from the intercoms.

"Cisco what's wrong?" Iris asked.

"Can't turn it off," he grunted out.

"Turn what off?" she asked.

"The vibes! There too many of them!" he shouted through the coms. At this point, Caitlin and Ralph had both moved over to the council. "They won't stop coming!"

"Hang on Cisco," Caitlin told him. "This should only last for another two minutes. Barry bring him back here."

In seconds both the boys were back at Star Labs. Cisco was clutching his head as he landed on the floor. Caitlin quickly filled a syringe with some liquid Ralph didn't recognize and stuck it in his arm. In three seconds Cisco laid motionless on the floor.

"What did you do to him?" Barry asked angrily.

"Knockout serum," she told them. "It should turn off all of the visions he's getting along with giving him an hour to rest."

"Caitlin he could have overloaded and shut down completely and then we'd have lost him. What were you thinking?" Barry asked.

"I didn't realize that he would vibe on everything. I thought he would only vibe on things he concentrated on," she told them. She was still a little shaken by the incident. It wasn't visible shaking but Ralph could see it in her eyes how worried she was for Cisco right now.

"Caitlin we can't take chances on things like that," Iris told her. "We can't lose anyone. We may not have a huge villain yet but when we do we need everyone at their best. We can't take chances like this."

Caitlin just stared at them worriedly. Ralph had just about enough of this. This wasn't her fault. It's not like she planned to overload Cisco. "Hey wait a second," he spoke up. "That serum did exactly what she said it would do. He didn't have to touch any object to vibe off of anything. She didn't know that it was going to vibe off everything he saw. It was just too strong. We figured it out. Cisco's gonna be fine. So you can just keep your judgements to yourselves."

She looked up at him in wonder. He defended her. He'd stood up for her and hadn't backed down. Everyone else stared at him too but they all held a little guilt in their eyes. She'd fallen even deeper for him in that singular moment.

"Now, Let's get him to a bed so he doesn't wake up with a crick in his neck," he said as he picked up Cisco. He tilted his head to motion Caitlin to follow him. She followed quickly. They had gotten Cisco to one of the medical bed. Ralph set him down. "What a bunch of jerks mmmph."

Caitlin kissed him the minute he'd set Cisco down. She kissed him with such passion. He quickly followed suit and kissed her back with the same kind of passion for. The kiss ended sweetly as she looked up at him. "Thank you," she said a little quietly.

"Caitlin," he started as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You don't ever have to worry. I will always be there for you."

For that, she gave him another small kiss and then rested in his arms. After a minute she looked back up at him. "Do you wanna do a movie at my place tonight?"

"I'd love that," he smiled as he told her.

"Great," she said. She blushed a little bit before she kissed him one last time. He gave her a kind of happy yet curious look. "To get me through until tonight."

He squeezed her hand as he let her go back to do whatever she had to do. As he walked watched her walk away nothing in the world could have hidden his smile. Somewhere down the line, he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he had fallen hopelessly, desperately, in love with the most wonderful girl he could have asked for in the entire world. He was undeniably in love with Caitlin Snow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Super excited about this insert. I want to say thank you to my beta T.V. along with the people who followed and favorited this story. Mostly I want to thank the three reviewers. You guys are the absolute best and thank you for letting me know you liked it. Shout out to all of you. Without further Adieu, let's get started!**

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Caitlin was snuggled next to Ralph under the blanket. She was warm, comfy and safe in his eyes. The events from earlier were still playing in her head. The way everyone looked at her like she was… but then Ralph stood up for her. He told her that he would always be there for her. It made her feel so … She couldn't explain it right. It was so complex but she knew that somewhere that there was a word for it. She thought back to the first kiss she'd shared with him. It was sweet and sensitive. It carried over every emotion that they felt. How much they felt it. It was perfect. Every kiss since then had been a message. Thank you, I'm really happy to see you, I care about you, I'm so proud of you. Every one of them perfect for what they conveyed. Her eyelids felt heavy. In truth, she didn't want him over to watch a movie. She just wanted him here with her. If he happened to still be here in the morning, well, that's what happened. She closed her eyes and let sleep take over. But before she was fully consumed by sleep, she felt a small but caring kiss on the top of her head and Ralph's voice softly saying, "Good night, Caitlin."

The next morning she found herself almost completely on top of Ralph. His hand on her head which was on his chest. She had hand closed in a fist close to her face and the other was holding his hand. His other hand was on her side. Their legs intertwined. She looked at his face. His hair was a little messy and he was definitely asleep. In his sleep though, he was smiling. She wondered what he was dreaming about. She looked outside. It was still early. She decided that it was probably best that she go back to sleep. Might as well not wake Ralph up. Then he'd have to go home at a horrible hour and try to get back to sleep and might not be able to. Then that would put a dent in the team and they didn't need that. She snuggled into him a little bit more and closed her eyes. "Good night Ralph."

When she woke up the second time Ralph was gone. At first, she got really nervous. Then her nerves calmed when she smelled the sweet smell of donuts, bacon and, what was that strawberries? Weird combination but to be honest she didn't keep much in her fridge. She'd spent so many nights at Star Labs all the food would go bad by the time she actually came home. She stood up and walked over to the kitchen. Ralph was cooking bacon over the stove. He looked bright eyed and bushy tailed. His hair had been fixed and she couldn't remember if that was the same shirt he'd been wearing last night or not but it looked clean. She was sure she looked like a mess.

Ralph had gotten up that morning rather early. Conflicted on whether to stay right where he was, comfortably with the woman he loved wrapped in his arms, or get up and make breakfast for the woman he loved. He decided on the second one only because he knew if he didn't get up she'd wake to his stomach rumbling instead of the smell of good food. He moved ever so carefully out of bed and tucked her back in, giving her a kiss on her forehead. He'd found that her food supply was really lacking. So he'd gone and gotten some donuts from Bethel and a shirt from home. He'd also remembered to comb his hair before he left. It was all totally worth it to see Caitlin's face that morning. Her hair was messy and a little disheveled along with her clothes. The look in her tiered beautiful brown eyes were filled with happiness and what he hoped she thought was love. "Hey," he said as she came up next to him.

"Morning," she said. He bent down and kissed her lovingly.

"You look beautiful this morning," he told her.

"Please, I'm a mess," she said. A hint of blush still making its way onto her cheeks.

"I never kid around about how pretty a girl is," he told her.

She blushed more now. He knew exactly what to say to make her feel like she was the most cherished thing on the whole earth. "How long until breakfast is ready?"

"Should be ready in about fifteen minutes," he told her.

"Okay," she said. "I'll be back soon." She left and went upstairs and went to change and fix her hair. She did still have to go to work that day. She had to figure out what had gone wrong with her calculations on Cisco's serum. Probably everyone was going to be there today and that was going to be fun to see all the disappointment in their eyes. She dreaded that. Anytime she did something wrong there was always this disappointed stare in their eyes. She'd made it her mission not to get that anymore. She sighed and looked in the mirror. She missed the way things used to be like. Before Iris knew that Barry was the Flash, before Cisco developed powers, before Zoom and Savitar. She sometimes wished it could go back to the way it was when they first started out. She was so much more to them back then. She had so much to offer them and they didn't look at her like they did now. Like she was less than what she used to be. But honestly even she felt like that. She felt like she'd somehow failed them and now she sat mostly on the sidelines. Sometimes she wondered if she didn't show up to work one day if they would even notice that she wasn't there.

She shook her head. Then a notification came up on her phone for one of the few games she had. She looked at the picture of her and Ralph on the screen. His arms were wrapped around her and hers around him. The smiles were so bright and real. She smiled at the picture. That would be the thing she'd regret the most if she'd never met Ralph Dibney. The man that showed her every day that he cared about her. That made her feel rarer than the rarest diamond on earth. The man that would never turn his back on her.

She brushed her hair back into a ponytail, put on a white shirt, brown jacket, a purple scarf, skinny jeans and brown ankle high boots. She gave herself a once over and liked what she saw. Today she wasn't going to worry about what the others thought. She had a challenge and she was going to solve it. She was also going to get Ralph some cookies after work. Maybe do something different tonight. Bowling? Concert? She'd decide on something. She went back downstairs to go enjoy the breakfast he'd made them.

* * *

Ralph took Caitlin in his car that day. Her house was on the way to his. She went to where her calculations were put up on the glass wall. "Alright, I'm gonna need to figure out what went wrong in the calculations in order to fix the over vibing. I still can't figure out why it vibed on things Cisco didn't want. Usually, it's that he can't vibe on things he wants."

Ralph studied her work. He was confused on a lot of it. That's why he focused on any simple thing like regular addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. He looked at something that didn't quite feel right. "Hey Caitlin, Is this right over here?"

She walked over to where he was standing. She looked intently at it. "No, it's not. She looked at the previous parts. "That's where the problems begin. It's why the concentration is so high. It affects the entirety of the equation. Ralph, you're brilliant," she kissed him. It was a short kiss but it conveyed exactly what she wanted it to. She started to work on fixing the formula. It kept making more and more sense as she went along. She couldn't believe how she'd missed such a key factor. No wonder it overloaded Cisco. She wiped her brow with her sleeve. It was out of pure exhaustion. The entire thing had taken her a couple hours. Ralph had done whatever she needed him to do. Quite honestly, she knew that he didn't understand a lot of this but he made himself useful with whatever she needed. "It's done," she told him.

He stared at the wall. It was like a waterfall of numbers that looked like they'd come crashing into him. Then he looked over at Caitlin. She knew what every line, dot and letter meant. The knowledge that she held constantly astounded him. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "It looks like a masterpiece."

She smiled and looked up at him. Words couldn't describe the way that he constantly made her feel. She only knew that she never wanted that feeling to go away.

* * *

Later that night Ralph found Caitlin sound asleep in her chair. The yellow and purple light illuminating from the sunset outside gave her a heavenly impression. He looked lovingly at her. She was always beautiful but this was a peaceful beauty. She always made his heart melt when he found her asleep. He gently cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead.

Her eyes fluttered slowly open as she looked up to find Ralph looking sweetly at her. "Hey," she greeted softly.

"Hey," he said. His fingers tracing her cheek. "It's really late. We need to get you home soon."

She smiled but didn't look like she was getting up. "You know, I think I'm just gonna crash here tonight. There's a nice cot in the back. I still have some extra clothes and pajamas in the storage closet. That way I don't have to waste time and can get this serum finished tomorrow morning."

He laughed lightly at this, "You don't plan on getting out of that chair do you?"

She smiled and shook her head. He knew her so well. She always wondered when he'd changed from that womanizing playboy into this wonderfully caring man that stood in front of her. She looked at him a little dazed and very sweetly. She didn't know what would happen next but she wasn't worried. She'd begun trusting him a long time ago. Each time he never let her down.

"Well," he said as he picked her up. She gasped and then laughed. "If you're not going to move. I'm afraid I'm going to have to at least make sure you actually get to that cot." He carried her to the back where the cot was and next to it was the storage locker.

She was so tired but she managed to get changed and brushed her teeth. She practically tottered towards to the cot. Ralph noticed this and picked her up again, laying her down gently on the cot and pulled the covers over her, tucking her in gently. She looked into his eyes. She saw that look in his eyes. She knew he didn't want to leave her here in this dark dank room that would soon be a pitch black room. Where he couldn't keep her safe or that she had a better chance of being safe. She could see the regret in his eyes. With what little strength she had left, she reached up and took his hand and pulled it close to her face. Telling him that she would be safe and that she knew he cared.

He smiled and reluctantly let her hand go and turned out the lights behind him. Caitlin already fast asleep.

* * *

A couple of days later Caitlin had remembered that she'd forgotten about wanting to plan something with Ralph. She was waiting that morning for Ralph like she did every morning. She loved the fact that he got up earlier just to be with her alone for an hour or two. She heard his footsteps coming down the hallway and turned to greet him.

"Hey," he said as he came over.

"Morning," she said. Before she could make out another word however, Ralph had already begun to kiss her. It was a long and passionate kiss. That meant he was in a great mood. "What's got you so excited?"

"I just have that feeling it's gonna be a good day," he told her. "Hey, are we doing anything tonight?"

"That's what I was wanting to talk to you about," she said cheerfully. "I was wondering if you've ever been bowling?"

"Yes, I love that," he said. "What time do we leave?"

She giggled at that. "How about 6. There is this place down on Main Street that does a two for one deal. I do have to warn you, I have never bowled before."

"Oh, well then, get ready for the best bowling lesson of your entire life," he teased giving her a quick twirl.

"I'm looking forward to it," she laughed. He gave her a quick kiss on her cheek and let her go back to doing what she'd been doing before he'd come in. Caitlin's smile was bright and beautiful. Her cheeks were going to start hurting with how much she'd been smiling and she no longer needed to put on blush in the morning.

When the workday was over, Ralph and Caitlin were the last to leave and headed to the bowling alley. It was busy but not overly packed. Everyone was either on the floor bowling or eating food. Caitlin had decided to wear a blue and purple dress that night with her brown jacket. It was a date after all, why not? Ralph got their shoes and they were ready to start her lessons.

"Okay the key is, it's all in the wrist and release," he said as he moved her arms. He guided her and she released the ball. It rolled and took down eight pins leaving the two most outer ones standing. "There we go. That's great."

She giggled lightly.

"Oh yeah that's terrific," a man said coming up from behind. He was grungy looking and smelled of beer. "She got eight pins because she got help from her man. I bet she couldn't get five pins per round without him."

"Hey pal, I don't know what," Ralph started.

"You wanna test that out?" Caitlin asked challenging.

"Yeah," he said.

"One round. Winner pays for everything," she said.

"Done," he said and shook hands with her. "You're a fool was to challenge the three-time champion of this place."

He laughed as he walked away. Caitlin just looked at him menacingly. "What was that?" Ralph asked. "You've never even played before."

"He was asking for it. Besides the most you can really spend here is twenty bucks," she said.

"Whenever you're ready princess," the guy called.

"Let's do this," she said. They headed over. The guy's name turned out to be Pete and his friend's name was Mark. They went first and both got nines. Ralph went first and got an eight. Then Caitlin was up. She stepped up to the starting area. She was completely still for a minute. Ralph wondering what she was doing, cheered her on and hoped that they might have a fighting chance.

She took three perfect steps and sent the ball rolling down the alley. It was a strike.

He cheered, ran up to her and twirled her in the air. Congratulating her as she laughed in the air. It was the sixth round and she'd just made her sixth strike. She ran back to where they were sitting. Ralph took in his arms. "How are you doing that?"

"It's just math. Not that hard," she told him.

"Wait," he stopped her. "You've been doing math this entire time?"

"Yeah," she told him. "You just find the force and speed, distance to the pins, the angle to hit the pins and then you add in the spinning component and mmph."

He gave a long sweet kiss. When the kiss broke he looked into her eyes, smiled and said, "For a moment I forgot that I wasn't dealing with a regular genius."

She blushed and smiled brightly at him. He'd torn down every single one of her walls and stormed her castle. He made her the happiest she'd been in a long time. She kissed him again, holding onto every single moment of it.

At the end of the night, Caitlin's picture was put up on the wall as the newest record holder for the most points ever. They'd won the bet and were now heading home. The whole trip they talked about what happened and how awesome it was. He dropped her off at home but as always gave her a goodnight kiss and promised to see her tomorrow. Caitlin changed and got ready for bed. Ready for her dream. Which mostly now consisted of her and Ralph on some adventure. Tonight she was extra ready for it.

* * *

Days later, Ralph came in early like he always did and found Caitlin sitting at a desk. She was doing something on the council and didn't notice him come in. He made his way behind her and laid a small silver wrapped box on the surface in front of her. She looked up and turned to look at him. "It's not my birthday," she said puzzled.

"Nope," he agreed.

"It's definitely not your's," she said.

"Nope," he shook his head.

She looked back at the gift, "I don't know. You gotta tell me."

"It's the anniversary of the day we met," he told her still smiling.

She looked back at him. Her face showed just how surprised yet touched she is. No one's ever remembered that in any of her past relationships aside from Ronnie.

"Open it," he said excitedly.

She laughed and took the long box and opened it. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. It was a small charm bracelet. There was a piece of birthday cake, a bakery, a banner, a tree, three bowling pins, a test tube, a star with a whoosh line in it, a film reel and in the center were a couple dancing close together.

Tears were in her eyes. Every once and a while one fell down her face.

"I made sure the guy got the dancers just right. Did you know that there are 40 different ways to have these things positioned," he told her as he moved in front of her and helped her put it on. "I wanted to show you just how special you are to me Caitlin. Happy anniversary."

She practically lunged forward to hug him. That moment. That singular moment, That was the moment she knew, undeniably, that she loved him. That feeling she couldn't describe for the longest of times. That feeling he made her feel every single day. She'd known what it was all along. She was fully and forever would be, in love with Ralph Dibney.

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 **Thank you all for reading. Don't forget to write your reviews and tell me what you thought. Let me know what your favorite scenes were so I can incorporate more of what you guys like. See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Everyone, I finally got my inspiration yesterday and I am happy to finally post this last chapter. I have to tell you I didn't think that I'd ever finish this thing but I am happy to say that this story is finished. I hope you all love it as much as I do. Don't forget to review. And without further adieu,**

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Ralph walked around the halls of Star Labs with Caitlin. Today all they had done was talk. It was about meaningless things, TV shows, colors, little things that made up their lives. Ralph loved these types of talks. They were simple and honest. Personal and fun. Just them. They entered the main area to find the entire team working on who knew what without them. Again.

This bothered him. They were apart of this team too and yet they were treated like they were less. He looked over at Caitlin. Her expression wasn't of anger but sadness and acceptance. She no longer felt a huge blow to her gut when she wasn't included in projects anymore. It still stung but it wasn't so potent anymore.

Ralph slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He gave her a small smile and kissed her forehead. She smiled back at him, lovingly. She could happily admit that to herself now.

They watched everyone for a minute or two before Ralph squeezed Caitlin's shoulders and walked over to the crowd. "Hey guys," he said as everyone turned around to see him and also find Caitlin clacking on the computer. "What'cha guys workin' on?"

The day went along with Caitlin and Ralph in their own little club as they continued working on the serum for Cisco.

After a while, the sun had set and they decided that they ought to go home and Caitlin help Ralph get to know the city better as Plastic Man. They were walking towards their cars when all of a sudden, a vicious looking monster landed right in front of them. Ralph quickly moved in front of her ready to protect her. The monster was twice Ralph's size, with black oozing slime for skin and bright yellow eyes ready to kill. With a loud screech, it slammed the ground causing it to shake. It threw them to the ground with a thud. Knowing it could only grab one and run it reached out and grabbed Caitlin. She screamed and called out to Ralph. The monster began running away with her.

Ralph called back to Caitlin and took off after the monster. He used his superpower and launched himself at the beast. He landed on the monster's neck and caused it to snap. The creature fell to the ground and the ooze slowed and left its previous shape. "Caitlin!" he called out frantically searching the ooze for her.

"I'm over here!" she yelled struggling to get out of the ooze.

Ralph ran to her shoving ooze off her until he could pull her out and safely into his arms. He held her tightly. She clung to him as if her life depended on it. A minute of this and they were reassured that the other was okay. Ralph wrapper one arm around her and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. With his free hand, he reached for a rooftop and swung them back to the parking lot.

Ralph and Caitlin got to work later than they usually did that morning. Neither of them were quite ready to face the world. They had let themselves sleep in that morning so that they would enter at the same time the rest of the group did. They met out in the parking lot before work to talk for a little bit away from the others first.

"Hey," he said as he approached her.

"Hey," she greeted in return.

"How are you doing?" he asked her as he pulled her into a caring hug.

"I'm doing okay," she answered him. "I'm okay."

They just stayed there for a little while, letting the other just be there for them. "I say we skip work today and call in sick," Ralph suggested.

Caitlin laughed. "As nice as that sounds, we have to push forward. Hopefully, we'll get some information on what attacked us last night."

He smiled down at her. His heart and his world, so brave and so bold. She was right. "Alright," he said before giving her a small kiss. "Let's do this."

The two of them walked forward, smiling and content, as they entered the building. Walking along the halls to the main area they'd begun talking about meaningless things. What they didn't expect to find was the whole group waiting for them with unpleasant looks and stances. The two finally noticed them when someone cleared their throats obnoxiously.

"Hey guys," Ralph greeted. "What are we working on today?" he asked as Caitlin gave him a small pat on his shoulder before moving over towards her desk in the chemical lab right next to them.

"Actually, Caitlin we need to speak with you and Ralph together," Barry told them.

She stopped and came back over while giving Ralph a concerned look. "What's going on?"

"That's what we'd like to know," Iris said.

"What do you mean?" Ralph asked.

"Have you seen the news lately?" she continued.

They both sent concerned glances to the other. "No," they both answered.

"You might want to take a look," Barry said as he turned on the tv.

"The city was widely shocked at the appearance of the ooze monster's rampage through the city but was very lucky indeed to have one of its' own new superheroes, Plastic Man, defeat it thoroughly and with almost no destruction to the city," the anchor reported. "Though none was luckier than the mystery woman who had been taken by the said monster. Though she could not be made out, she could certainly be seen here, thanking her rescuer in one of the biggest hugs I've seen in a while. Does this new superhero have someone special in his life? More on that when we return."

Barry shut off the tv. Caitlin and Ralph looked at each other and then to the rest of the group. "Are you guys really that concerned about this?" Ralph asked clearly unworried. "This'll blow over by the next supervillain that shows up. Really guys, What we should be doing is figuring out what that thing was and if there are any more of them," he told them as he walked towards one of the computers.

"What we are concerned about is the functioning of this team," Iris said stopping both of them in their tracks.

"Excuse me?" Ralph asked. "I'm sorry, I think I misheard you, did you say functioning of this team?"

"She did," Barry said. "What seems to be happening around here needs to stop. You both are unfocused and it's been reflecting in your work."

"Are you kidding me?" Caitlin asked almost outraged. She looked around the room with her hand slightly moving around aimlessly. "I mean, you have to be otherwise you wouldn't have said that."

"We're serious Caitlin," Iris told them.

"You have no say in this matter, Iris," she pointed at her. She almost started laughing, "and neither do you, Barry," she told them. "Do you remember how many times we told you not to date her, not to tell her about this or even be around her for her own safety? What did you do, Barry? You married her! You did everything you weren't supposed to do and you married her for crying out loud. She is only here because you fell in love with her and it became too hard to keep it a secret.

This is the reason why every villain that has a vendetta against you goes after Iris. This is why Savator went after her in the first place. She is why the old HR died and did you think of that when you decided to go against everything we told you? NO. You two are the last people who should have any say in this.

The fact that Ralph and I have been dating for almost a year now does not matter in our work. We have been diligent in what we've been doing and you would know that if you weren't such exclusive jerks to us. No one lets us get involved anymore. Ralph and I work hard and we do good work. Yet you keep us benched and out of the picture completely."

"From the second month I've been here all I've seen is that you keep excluding us from the missions," Ralph continued. "You have been slowly replacing Caitlin with Iris since the moment she arrived. All Caitlin ever does is work with serums and remember everything about you guys. She takes the time to plan birthday parties for each of you guys, she's the one that buys the coffee for the machines, she takes care of all of your cuts and bruises, she gives you everything she has and when something goes a little wrong all you do is tear her down. Every time something huge happens you never tell us. We always have to play catch up. The only reason I'm here is so that you guys can try and find the other metas that were on the bus that night. That's the only reason for me being here except for Caitlin. The only one who has ever made me feel truly welcome in this place. The fact that we're seeing each other gives you absolutely no right to get involved with our personal lives," Ralph finished. "Now if you don't mind," he extended his hand to which Caitlin happily took, "we have to find some monsters." They headed out the door and to another part of Star Labs. "You know that felt really good."

"Right? I feel like I just got rid of 50 pounds on my shoulders," she agreed.

"Like I'm flying," he added as they left a flabbergasted audience in their wake.

"So is all that stuff really true about Barry and Iris?" Ralph asked.

"Yep," Caitlin answered. "We repeatedly told him that it was a bad idea, even Joe was on our side." She sighed and leaned back against her chair. "You know sometimes I wonder what would have happened if he'd fallen for someone like Patty or even Patty herself."

"Who's Patty?" Ralph asked.

"Patty Spivot, Barry's ex-girlfriend, she used to work on the CCPD," Caitlin started.

"Oh! I remember her. She had blonde hair and worked with Joe for a spell right?" he asked.

"Yeah, that was her," she confirmed.

"She was nice. I never talked to her but she was good from what I could see. Bagged a bunch of Metas and a Mardon brother from what I can remember," he said.

"Exactly," she agreed. "But then I think, I might not have met you. Then I wouldn't have become the luckiest girl in the world."

She was smiling that sweet and caring and loving smile that she reserved just for him. The one that he could not resist kissing. His kiss was loving and promising of a future.

"Which makes me the luckiest guy in the world," he told her. She smiled up at him. "You know what I think we should do tonight?"

"What?" she asked intrigued by every word he said.

"I think we," he started when he took her hand and lightly twirled her around, "should go dancing." He looked at the wrist that was connected to the hand he was holding. Her charm bracelet was lightly resting with the tiny dancers facing him. "Must be fate."

Caitlin thought for a minute before she pulled out her phone. "I don't think three minutes will kill anyone," she said as she put on a song. It was beautiful and the most perfect song he'd ever heard for dancing. He took her hand again and placed his other on her waist while her other hand landed softly on his shoulder. They stepped together, moving around the room in perfect harmony. Ralph couldn't hear the words much but it was fine because he got to focus on the girl he was dancing with.

"What song is this?" he asked.

"House Home by Silver Trees," she answered. "Do you like it?"

"Right now," he looked deep in her eyes. "It's perfect."

She looked at him with an expression she had solely for him. Love deeper than anything she'd ever felt and a passion that would last forever. No matter what happened, her heart had found a home that would never be torn from her. This man, the man she danced with, the man she loved, the man that cherished her, was here, right now. Holding her like she was the most precious thing on earth. She loved him.

The song had to end like their dance. Neither of them wanted it to but they had things to do and problems to fix. Ralph was still holding her as the song ended. They smiled at each other. Everything was, for that four-minute period, right. "I'd ask for another, but I get to dance with you as much as I want after work."

She laughed like she knew that everything, for right now, was perfect. "I can't wait."

He kissed her tenderly. She kissed back with all the love in her heart. After a minute they let go and set to work on the serum. Both happy and in love.

Caitlin had already gone home to get ready for their date tonight. Ralph was just about to leave when he saw the weirdest thing. Joe was sitting at the desk watching old security footage. It looked specifically like he was watching him and Caitlin. "Whatcha doing, Joe?"

Joe was startled for a second but quickly relaxed when he saw Ralph. "I'm trying to figure out how it happened," he answered.

"What?" Ralph questioned.

"You and Caitlin," he told him. "I'm trying to piece it all together but it's missing things."

"How much have you watched?" Ralph asked.

"All of it," Joe answered. "From the day you got here to your little dance you had with Caitlin a couple of hours ago. What happened? You were such a playboy and all of a sudden you became a man, who is so in love and not in a sickening kinda way but a genuine real love." He shook his head in a weary way. "I look after this team. I've been doing it for a long time now and somehow, I missed it all."

Ralph sat next to him. Joe was the dad of this group. He looked over everyone and it was nice sometimes. Joe had never really treated him or Caitlin poorly. He had filled them in on what he understood but sometimes, it just wasn't as much as Cisco or Harry could give. "I think it all started the day I met her," Ralph started, rewinding the tape. "There was something different about her. I felt, happy to see her. Content for once in my life. She was beautiful and when I looked into her eyes, I knew there was something she hid from the world. She had a lot of walls. But I knew she'd be worth it. But it really started," he said turning to the outside camera, "when that guy Nick dumped her on her birthday." He continued to tell Joe the whole story of him and Caitlin. From her birthday to Barry and Iris's anniversary to them dancing to the moment he knew he'd fallen in love all the way up to tonight.

"Wow," Joe said in wonder. "You and Caitlin really do have something truly amazing." He patted him on the back.

"I think so too," Ralph said. "I'm telling her I love her tonight."

Joe looked surprised at him but not concerned, "Really? That's sounds amazing. Are you sure you're ready?"

"I've been ready for a while now and tonight I've got everything set up just right," he said. "I'm taking her to the place we first kiss, that 24-hour outdoor dance floor. About 20 minutes after we get there the song House Home by Silver Trees will play and while we're dancing I'm gonna tell her I love her."

"Sounds like a beautiful way to tell her," he told him. "Ya know, you two have something Iris and Barry don't."

"Oh, What's that?" Ralph asked.

"You two bring out the best sides of each other. You have this pure true love. You have a love story that you can be proud of. A love that will withstand all obstacles," he said. "Barry and Iris, they have a story that's their own. But you and Caitlin, you have a love story that, when you look back, you can remember the little moments. It wasn't driven by fear or near death experiences or someone revealing their worst fears. You guys got there on your own. Your relationship was dictated only by each other. You found your love pure and true. That is one of the best stories and you two… will have the best kind of love that anyone could ever ask for."

"Wow, Thanks Joe," Ralph said. "That means a lot coming from you."

"Well, you better hurry," Joe said. "You don't wanna keep her waiting."

"Ooh, yeah, See ya around man," Ralph said as he started to quickly make his way to his car.

"See ya," he laughed. Joe rewound the tape to Ralph and Caitlin dancing a few hours ago. He knew that Ralph wasn't the only one in love from the tape. He'd ask Caitlin about her side later. "They're gonna make it. They'll be okay."

Caitlin walked to the door. She looked over herself one more time. Her yellow dress was straightened her hair was up in a nice bun and her purple sweater looked nice with her dress and black flats. She was going dancing, no place for high heels. Her charm bracelet was secure on her wrist. She opened the door. Ralph was standing in front of her wearing a black suit with a burgundy shirt. He looked at her in such way, a way she didn't know. "What?"

"You, you… there are no words to describe how beautiful you truly are," he finally told her. How could anyone be able to deny her natural beauty? The golden yellow of angels, the delicate purple of royalty, a perfect vision one will only see in one person for the rest of their lives. A beauty that never dies.

She blushed and smiled down at the ground before her eyes returned to his. "How do you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Make me feel the way I do. Make me feel like I'm worth so much more than I am," she told him.

"First, you are worth more to me than anything in the world. Don't ever doubt that," he answered, "Second, it is very easy because it's you." He moved in swiftly and kissed her tenderly. She returned it as quickly he had been to kiss her. "You ready?" he asked her once they parted.

"Yes," she told him. Taking his hand he offered her.

He gently ushered her to the car and opened her door for her. Once they got there, they quickly fell into step with one another as some jazz song played through the speakers.

As time passed, the songs got slower and slower. With every song, The distance between Ralph and Caitlin became less and less. Finally, their song came on. Caitlin was happily surprised to hear the song but it turned into a pleasant smile. Caitlin was filled with so many emotions, joy, amazement, wonder, contentment, adoration, love, pure bliss.

The two of them waltzed around the floor. Ralph knew that this was the moment. "Caitlin," he began.

"Yes," she responded.

"When I first met you, I had no idea the ride I was in for," he continued. "You changed my world and completely took me by surprise. Your kindness towards others constantly baffles me. Your love and your compassion makes me want to be the best man I can be. Every single day of my life. I want to be the man you deserve. Your patience and your honesty are are something I struggle with. So I decided to be honest with you right now. Caitlin Snow, I have fallen hopelessly, desperately, irreversibly, in love with you. I love you, with all of my heart."

Caitlin had the biggest smile on and tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and began her turn, "Ralph, When I met you, I didn't think you were anything other than a playboy with superpowers. I am so happy you proved me wrong. Over and over again. On my birthday, I knew I had a true friend. When you stood up for me, I knew I'd found a partner and best friend. When you gave me the charm bracelet, I knew I was undeniably, and would forever be, in love with you. You broke down all my walls and showed me how to love once again. I love you too, Ralph Dibney."

And they kissed. It was true, pure, and for the first time that they knew, loving on both ends. The kiss conveyed exactly what they wanted it to. I love you. Nothing less.

Their kiss, however, was interrupted by the roar of another black oozing monster. They looked at each other.

"Go," she told him. It was time for Plastic Man to get more acquainted with the city. She was happy to wait for her hero to return. He'd saved her heart. It was time for him to go save the world. She would have him when this monster was finished.

He gave her another small kiss before running towards some buildings to change into his super suit.

Caitlin and Ralph were married two years later. Joe gave her away and no one could argue. When they danced to their song, everyone knew that their story was one that wouldn't be forgotten and that they were meant to be. They had two kids Russell and Abby. There were bumps. There were struggles. No life is perfect. But they always seemed to come out together. They got to live long and happy lives. Every year no matter what was going on, they somehow always managed to go back to that dance floor. And somehow, their song would always play once as they danced the night away.


End file.
